Thursday Thoughts: Buying Books

Today on Thursday Thoughts I’m going to be trying something a little different. As a book buyer and lover, I often get questions from people who don’t enjoy reading and, specifically, buying books as much as me. This Thursday Thoughts will be told in FAQ format, with real questions I’ve gotten in real life from fake people who are not book-buying enthusiasts and with genuine answers from me. Enjoy 🙂

Why would you buy books when you can just get them from the library for free?
From,
Rhea DingisdumGreat question Rhea! You see, I am not just a reader, I also collect books. I like owning the books I read and being able to display them and get excited about buying new ones.

But you do realize that you can get the exact same story for free at the library, right?From,Capt. O. BviousYup. The issue I have with libraries is that you get a book, and enjoy the time you have with the characters, and then you just return it. If I had first read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone from the library, I would be really upset that I don’t own the copy that I first experienced that wonderful story with. It’s not just a collection of books, it’s a collection of memories.

Books aren’t a very good investment.From,Sumban KerrFirst of all, Sumban, you should’ve submitted this to the Frequently Stated Statements section (FSS) instead of the FAQs. Second of all, I’m not hoping to sell my well loved copies of Twilight and Maximum Ride on eBay one day for a million dollars. Maybe one day books will become extremely valuable because eBooks are going to take over the world (God forbid) but the investment I’m making in buying these books now is knowing that my kids are going to be everyone’s #bookshelfgoals before they even know what a book is.

Why would you care to spend money to read about some made-up world that literally has no effect on anything that actually matters?From,
Nomayg UstabooksWhy do people spend five dollars on coffee every morning that will be gone in ten minutes? It makes them happy. I read because it makes me happy. So they can drink their coffee, and I can read my books, and you can keep sipping on that Haterade. You do you Nomayg.

Well, when will you stop collecting books?From,Stohpitz HahmertimeAround the same time I stop doing everything else I enjoy doing like… breathing.

So, those were my thoughts thrown at you this Thursday (woo-hoo, alliteration!). Since I know a lot of my followers are also self-proclaimed book hoarders, I’d love to hear if you can relate to my answers or your own original answers in the comments! If you prefer to borrow your books from a library, that’s perfectly okay too! I’m just saying that I love buying my books, and this is all about why.

Can I just say, that’s a lot of sass in there! 😉 I’m in total agreement with all of your answers! It’s not just a collection of books, but a collection of memories! Books are so precious, they’re like the best thing that has ever happened on this world ❤ and nothing can stop me from buying and reading books. If i want a hundred million of books, then I'll go buy and collect a hundred million of them ❤ why !! let !! anyone !! take away !! your !! happiness !!

I love the format of this post and the fake people names 😀 I love buying books. I like library books too, but if I liked the book I have to buy my own copy! My main reason for buying and collecting books is I frequently reread them!

You’re so sassy, it’s awesome! I agree with all your answers! I just go to the library and borrow when I’m not quite sure about a book. If I read it and love it, I go out and buy it and then read it again and again.

Thank you! There have definitely been times where I borrowed a book from the library and then bought my own copy. For example, with Cinder by Marissa Meyer I bought a copy the day after I finished the one I was reading from the library because I knew that series was going to be a new favorite 🙂

First I thought I had somehow managed to waste awake half a week because today was Tuesday and this was Thursday but then I realized i wasn’t crazy lol.
I think this post is super cute and sassy! I like the answers, especially the one about the Frequently Stated Statements. I’d buy more books because of the reasons you stated but I’m also poor so it’ll have to wait. Fab post.

I totally agree with buying books and owning them. Recently I bought an e-book of A Court of Thorns and Roses because the e-book was cheaper, and now I’m kicking myself for it. I loved it enough to own an actual copy! Now I’m debating whether I want to dish out twice the money for a story I’ve already read so that I can look at it every now and then and re-read it years in the future.

I absolutely agree with the whole idea of collecting books, and the way you said that you are collecting memories is exactly how I feel about it, as well. It’s such an amazing experience to go back to your bookshelf and look at your collection and remember all of the awesome books and memories that you’ve collected over the years!

I’m glad you could relate! It’s weird for me because normally I have such a bad memory but with certain books I can flip through the pages and remember exactly where I was when I read those words for the first time.

Haha this is such a fun way to format your post. I don’t usually buy physical copies of book unless I really love it, due to limited space in my apartment. But I like to buy Kindle copies when I can to support the author and the industry 🙂

This is the most relatable post ever! I love all your answers, it’s kinda hard for me to answer formally without sarcasm like that lol my mom just asked me this ‘you haven’t read all the books you’ve bought, why would you buy more?’ I answered ‘Mom, there millions of books I want, and I only have about 50 of them now, and it takes almost 2 months for them to arrive if I order now, if I try to finish all the book then order, i wouldn’t survive that two months of waiting’ XD